October 2025 Monthly ActivEducation

Decode Before You Detox: Understanding What’s Really in Your Food

October is Health Literacy Month, a time to strengthen our ability to find, understand, and use health information to make smarter choices. When it comes to nutrition, few things need more decoding than the modern food label. If you’ve ever been tempted by a “detox” juice, a “low-fat” snack, or a “natural” energy bar, you’re not alone. The grocery aisle is filled with products promising health — but not all are what they seem. Before you commit to your next “cleanse, ” let’s decode something even more powerful: the misinformation on our plates.

The Real Detox Starts with Knowledge:
Most people think of detoxing as flushing out toxins from the body. But the truth is, your liver, kidneys, and digestive system are already incredible detox machines. However, modern diets can overload that system with inflammatory ingredients, synthetic additives, and excess sugar or sodium. What often needs a cleanse is not your body — it’s your nutrition knowledge. When we learn to interpret what’s actually in our food, we naturally make cleaner, smarter choices without the need for extreme diets or expensive juices.

How to Read Food Labels like a Detective:

Start with the Ingredients — Not the Calories ⟶ Calories don’t tell the full story. Functional nutrition focuses on quality over quantity. Ask: Are these ingredients whole, natural, and recognizable? Are there chemical preservatives, dyes, or artificial flavors that can inflame or burden the liver? At my Detox & Clean-Living Workshop, you’ll uncover the truth behind harmful ingredients and walk away empowered to take control of your health.
- Functional tip: Choose foods with fewer ingredients and ones that come from nature — not a lab.
Check for Quality Fats and Protein ⟶ Healthy fats and proteins are key to supporting detox pathways. Choose: Grass-fed, pasture-raised, or wild-caught protein sources. Cold-pressed oils and omega-3–rich foods (like salmon, walnuts, and flaxseed).
- Avoid: Processed meats, trans fats, and hydrogenated oils — all of which increase oxidative stress.
Identify Inflammatory Additives ⟶ Many “healthy” packaged foods hide ingredients that disrupt gut health, hormones, and metabolism. We will dig into this more at my Detox & Clean-Living Workshop, but in the meantime watch out for: Refined seed oils (canola, soybean, corn oil) which are highly processed and can turn into inflammatory substances when they break down. Artificial sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame) — can alter gut flora. MSG, nitrates, and dyes — can contribute to inflammation and toxicity load.

Swap for: Olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and foods colored naturally by fruits and vegetables.

Don’t Be Fooled by Front-of-Package Claims ⟶ Terms like “natural,” “sugar-free,” “low-fat,” or “immune-boosting” are often marketing tools, not medical truths. For instance: “Low-fat” foods may have more sugar to make up for flavor. “Sugar-free” doesn’t always mean calorie-free — sugar alcohols can still impact digestion. “All-natural” isn’t regulated, so it doesn’t guarantee a clean ingredient list.

Pro tip: Flip the package over and read the Nutrition Facts and ingredient list before trusting the front label.

The Bottom Line: Health Literacy Is the Ultimate Detox ⟶ When you know how to read a label, you’re not just buying food; you’re choosing information that shapes your energy, hormones, and longevity. Toxins are stealing your energy. Take it back. Join my Detox & Clean-Living Workshop and reset your body, home, and hormones naturally. Cleanse your pantry of misinformation, fill your cart with whole foods, and give your body what it actually needs: clarity, balance, and nourishment.

Fuel yourbody.Free your mind.Find yourEDGE

Laura

Instagram:
@AEhealthcoaching

CHIROPRACTIC CARE – FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE – INTEGRATIVE NP – INFRARED SAUNA – COLD PLUNGE – RED LIGHT THERAPY – NORMATEC – ROLLERBEDS – INVERSION TABLE – CUPPING – DRY NEEDLING – MASSAGE SERVICES – MOVEMENT RETRAINING

The Latest in Health Trends and Tips

What’s going on in the World - Health News

The Hidden Epidemic: Antibiotic Resistance & the Breakdown of Body Ecology
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning: antibiotic resistance has reached a critical milestone. Today, approximately one in six bacterial infections worldwide is resistant to standard antibiotics, with resistance rising in over 40% of pathogen-drug pairs since 2018.

While this is a major public health concern, the effects of antibiotic resistance go far beyond hospitals — it can disrupt multiple systems in your body, influencing your immune health, metabolism, brain function, and more.

The Gut-Immune Axis: Your gut is home to about 70% of your immune system and serves as the body’s frontline defense. Antibiotics — whether prescribed or consumed indirectly through food — can decimate the gut’s microbial diversity. When that intestinal barrier is disrupted and weakened, one can develop increased gut permeability (“leaky gut”), systemic inflammation, autoimmune activation, allergy susceptibility, and nutrient malabsorption.
The Gut-Brain-Immune Loop: The gut and brain are intimately connected through the gut-brain axis, a two-way communication system that regulates neurotransmitters, mood, and cognitive function. Antibiotic overuse and chronic low-grade infections can disrupt this delicate balance, contributing to: brain fog, mood imbalances (anxiety & irritability), and sleep disturbances.
Cardiometabolic Fallout: Chronic infections and microbial imbalances increase systemic inflammation, a key driver of insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction. Inflammation also produces oxidative stress, which can damage mitochondria (your cells’ energy producers) and vascular tissue, potentially increasing the risk of metabolic disorders and cardiovascular issues.

Bottom line:

When resistant infections persist, the liver works overtime to process inflammatory by-products and bacterial toxins; the lymphatic system struggles to clear cellular waste; and chronic immune activation drains nutrient reserves such as zinc, vitamin D and glutathione. Limiting unnecessary antibiotic exposure — both prescribed and in the foods we eat — is essential. Supporting your body with a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory diet, gut-friendly foods, and targeted supplements can help restore balance and resilience.

Roasted Autumn Bowl

This bowl has a great balance of complex carbs, fiber, antioxidants and minerals giving your body everything it needs to perform, recover and feel grounded.

Ingredients (all organic):
- 1 medium sweet potato, cubed
- 1 cup butternut squash, cubed
- 1 apple, sliced
- 2 cups baby greens (spinach or arugula)
- 1 TBSP avocado or olive oil
- Celtic salt & pepper to taste
- optional:
How To:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Toss the sweet potato, squash, and beets with olive/avocado oil, salt and pepper.
Roast 25-30 mins until tender.
Serve over greens, drizzle with tahini and sprinkle with cinnamon if desired

Foods For Fall

Apples and Pears:

help to stabilize blood sugar
support heart and brain health
has pectin which promotes glowing skin

Grapes:

tiny antioxidant powerhouses
packed with polyphenols and resveratrol
support heart health, circulation and cognitive function
perfect food for active recovery

Sweet Potatoes and Squash:

carbs that help ground you
loaded with beta-carotene, potassium, and resistant starch
balance hormones, sustain energy and nourish gut health
supports vision and immunity.

Beets:

Great for circulation and endurance
rich in nitrates and folate
enhance blood flow, boost stamina and help body recover faster

Link Between Minerals and Glands

Trace minerals (or microminerals) are essential nutrients the body needs in very small amounts — typically less than 100 mg per day. Even in these tiny doses, they have massive biological importance, especially in regulating the endocrine system — the network of glands that control hormones, metabolism, growth, and stress response.